Knowing China through Taiwan

Policy

'Love your country, buy cabbage': China's agriculture ministry

Chinese farmers are facing a difficult winter as the price of Chinese cabbage has dropped considerably since October. (File Photo/CFP)

China's Ministry of Agriculture has launched a campaign to promote the sale of Chinese cabbage, also known as bok choy, as the vegetable's price continues to fall sharply.

The "love your country, buy cabbage" campaign — aimed at reversing a nearly 40% price drop in cabbage, since October — and sent notices to all provinces to ask provincial governments to handle the slow sale of the vegetable.

The ministry has taken efforts to promote potatoes as well, due to their drop in sales. The potato campaign uses a similar combination of patriotism and produce: "love your country, buy potatoes." The ministry also asked provincial governments to list vegetables for which sales have slowed as priority items for storage, and encouraged large agricultural enterprises to buy Chinese cabbage.

The agriculture ministry offered related subsidies and policies to help sellers promote the vegetables to customers in the city.

An official at the ministry said that it will try to ensure the transaction volume of the vegetables at eighteen large wholesale markets in northern China surpasses 19 million kilograms in the latter half of November.